If You Pass Me By

[For some reason the YouTube embedding isn't working right now, so I'll just link to videos and hope you click.]I've had a very private relationship to PJ Harvey's music for the past few years. For some reason I almost never talk about her, but there came a time in my life when I really, really needed her music -- and fortunately, "Uh Huh Her" had just come out, which was hugely helpful at the time. I still love that album. But what I got most from her was that sense of striking out on one's own, away from the male influence that tells you how to dress and what to say and what to think. She expresses anger, but it's a very focused, very graceful kind of anger, and I've learned a lot from that example. The only two records of her that I listen to regularly are "Uh Huh Her" and "Dry," although there are others I like and others I really don't ("Rid of Me" specifically -- I can't stand Steve Albini's production). And because I don't watch MTV, or much TV at all, I haven't really seen any of her videos before. I went looking today on YouTube and wanted to share a couple of beauties I found.The first is "Henry Lee," her duet with Nick Cave from Nick's "Murder Ballads" album -- an amazing record with a number of wonderful duets with artists such as Katharine Blake (Mediaeval Baebes, Miranda Sex Garden) and even Kylie Minogue sounding unchacteristically spooky. I had no idea this video existed, let alone how utterly intense and sexy it is:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdNCHomHlUSecond, a live performance of "Shame," off "Uh Huh Her." I absolutely adore this song, and this is an extremely rockin' version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKLPMZ-PSBQ